


no reason for confrontation

by vivahate



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Protective Kageyama Tobio, Protective Tsukishima Kei, Spoilers for the Manga, Tsukishima's pov, hinata being a little minx, namely chapter 365, tsukishima is a Good friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-18 14:24:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20640638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivahate/pseuds/vivahate
Summary: “Shouyou seems tired.” Yamaguchi asserts helpfully, and Tsukishima fixes him with a deadpan look as Hinata exaggerates a big yawn, corners of his mouth tipped up into a timid, yet smug grin and leans more of his weight onto Kageyama’s back, nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck. Kageyama’s ears as well as his face turn a flaming shade of red and Tsukishima considers throwing a towel at them.





	no reason for confrontation

**Author's Note:**

> HEADS UP FOR MANGA SPOILERS ! NAMELY FOR THE LAST CHAPTER ! 
> 
> the things that occur in this fic are almost entirely unrelated to the aforementioned chapter, but Things are mentioned in characters' musings.

“Is this how it’s gonna be from now on?” Tsukishima asks, face carefully blank as he watches Kageyama, sweaty and half-dead on his feet carry an equally worn-out looking Hinata on his back across the court. “Do we really have to put up with this _on top _of their incessant bickering?”

Yamaguchi snickers beside him, clearly deriving great joy from his suffering. The absolute traitor! As if it’s not enough that he has to watch the idiot he’s tentatively grown to take a liking to and actually start considering a friend do – whatever the hell it is Hinata’s been doing to Kageyama since the end of first year.

“Shouyou seems tired.” Yamaguchi asserts helpfully, and Tsukishima fixes him with a deadpan look as Hinata exaggerates a big yawn, corners of his mouth tipped up into a timid, yet smug grin, and leans more of his weight onto Kageyama’s back, nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck. Kageyama’s ears as well as his face turn a flaming shade of red and Tsukishima considers throwing a towel at them.

“_I’m _tired.” Tsukishima says, removing his kneepads. “Look at them! Hinata’s not even sleepy – I can’t believe that idiot king has not caught on that he’s being played!”

On the other side of the gym Kageyama settles Hinata down on a bench – gentle and attentive like he never is – and procures two water bottles for them. When afterwards Hinata reaches up to wipe some of the water from Kageyama’s chin with his own hand, both Tsukishima and Yamaguchi pointedly look away.

“You know he’s been worrying about Hinata a lot after – after what happened.” Yamaguchi says, cutting himself off halfway. It’s as far as any of them is able to verbally refer to Hinata’s collapse during the nationals. It was a miracle that Hinata recovered as fast as he did, both physically and emotionally. No little thanks to some very specific kind of encouragement form a certain setter. “I don’t think Kageyama will take any chances of that happening again. Not with how he’s been blaming himself for not being able to read the situation sooner.”

“He is fine now, though.” Tsukishima retorts solely for the sake of being contrary. “As obnoxious as ever and impossibly even more energetic than before. He must be having an awful lot of fun jerking our genius setter around like this.”

His last statement couldn’t have been further from the truth and they both know it, but luckily Yamaguchi doesn’t give him much grief over it except for an indulgent little smile that Tsukishima elects to ignore.

No one expected Kageyama to start acting so protectively towards their very own unbeatable decoy, no one more than Hinata, who although annoyed by the excessive amount of doting poorly masked as annoyance at first, took the changes in stride, using the opportunity to push his own affections towards the clearly oblivious setter. Not that the latter was able to see much past his leftover guilt and the resolute mission to see him and Hinata at the very top together.

And hadn’t _that_ come as a surprise. Tsukishima had been about ready to damn his reputation of complete detachment to hell and throw hands with Kageyama for his impudent declaration of _I win this time, too_, having felt strangely protective of Hinata who had at the moment been at his most miserable and devastated. But the words had worked like magic, almost immediately snapping Hinata out of his stupor and refilling him with determination. Finally getting him to accept the situation. To retreat, regroup and keep fighting.

Kageyama’s residual protectiveness and change of approach towards Hinata came as a surprise to no one except for Hinata himself, it seemed. Tsukishima’s known them both long enough to figure out the dynamics of their… partnership. Even if the two do not seem to have figured out much of it themselves yet.

At least Tsukishima can rest assured – not that he cares or anything – that neither of the freak duo will ever intentionally hurt the other. Hinata because, well, he wouldn’t be able to hurt a fly even if he tried. And Kageyama, because even if he is emotionally stunted and has no tact to speak of (and Tsukishima is only able to tolerate him for brief amounts of time) has no ill intentions towards Hinata.

On the contrary, rather.

_I will toss to anyone essential to winning_, Kageyama says and labors day and night to fundamentally readjust all his tosses specifically to heighten Hinata’s chances to spike successfully.

_I’ll be going on ahead_, Kageyama taunts and goes on ahead paving a new way for them through constructive criticism and notes he’s gathered from careful observation of their opponents and mentally comparing every single ace he’s played against with the redhead he claims has no chance of ever becoming an ace.

_I win this time, too,_ Kageyama says and means that he sees Hinata as his equal in everything they do, and that he won’t lose to him. But that he wants, above everything, to keep winning with Hinata.

They’re a couple of weirdos, Tsukishima thinks. Both after the same thing but unable to communicate as much without butting heads or confusing the hell out of each other and themselves.

Not that Tsukishima cares or anything.

The next he catches sight of the freak duo is outside of school when Yamaguchi and him are about to head home. Hinata’s holding out a paper bag of what look to be meat buns towards Kageyama, looking _bashful_ of all things while Kageyama _gazes_ back at him with stars practically glistening in his eyes and they both look so openly affectionate and unlike their usual brash selves that Tsukishima nearly walks into a tree.

“Aw.” Yamaguchi says while effectively pulling Tsukishima aside just before a disastrous collision. “They seem to be doing just fine. You don’t need to worry so much, Tsuki!”

Tsukishima rights himself and watches Kageyama accept the handed meat bun with an appreciative bow as Hinata seizes the chance to plant a kiss right on Kageyama’s cheek. Kageyama pulls back, stunned and blushing like crazy and starts sputtering out nonsense while Hinata – the little devil – looks on as smugly as a cat that’s just got the canary.

Hopeless idiots. Both of them. And to think Tsukishima spent so much time wor – carefully not caring about either of them.

Tsukishima strongly wishes he _had_ thrown that towel at them earlier, though.

**Author's Note:**

> if you're absolutely devastated after the last manga chapter, raise your hand. 
> 
> also isn't it truly Galaxy Brain of me to have written that fic about hinata overworking and fainting only days before furudate came through with the recent developments in manga? really much to think about. 
> 
> come say hi to me on [tumblr](http://shakespears.tumblr.com) or (my anime) [twitter](https://twitter.com/tobioer)!


End file.
